White obtained examples of this large Wood-hewer in Misiones.
[220.] XIPHOCOLAPTES MAJOR (Vieill.).
(CHESTNUT WOOD-HEWER.)
Xiphocolaptes major, Scl. et Salv. Nomencl. p. 68; White, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 613 (Salta); Durnford, Ibis, 1880, p. 359 (Tucuman).
Description.—Above and below nearly uniform chestnut, tinged with olivaceous on the crown and throat; narrow shaft-spots on the breast-feathers whitish, forming faint lines; beak pale horn-colour; feet bluish grey: whole length 11·10 inches, wing 5·5, tail 4·0. Female similar.
Hab. North Argentina, Paraguay, and Bolivia.
This large and powerful Wood-hewer is confined to the hottest portion of the Argentine Republic, and also inhabits Paraguay and Bolivia. White met with it at Oran, in the province of Salta, and writes concerning its habits:—“Common here in the dense forest, where their continued hard pecking at the lofty tree-trunks is very accentuated. Two or three at a time maintain a continued race up a magnificent clear stem as far as the branches, when they fly to the bottom of the next and do likewise.”
This species is nearly a foot in length, the beak being about two inches long, curved and very powerful. The tail is stiff, being used as a support in climbing, and the claws are strong and sharply hooked. The colour of the whole plumage is nearly uniformly bright rufous.